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Punk duo lead singer of Bob Vylan has stated he is "not regretful" about his "death, death to the IDF" performance at the festival and asserted he would "do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

Disputed Chant and Official Responses

The vocal music pair ignited widespread debate when they initiated audience calls of "death, death to the IDF," referring to the Israel Defense Forces, during their June performance. The chant was condemned by festival organizers and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who described it as "shocking hate speech."

Following the incident, Bob Vylan was dropped by its representation United Talent Agency, and the US state department revoked the artists' visas, forcing them to call off a planned US and Canada concert series.

Interview with the Podcaster

During his first public discussion after the festival show, the musician, using his real name is Pascal Foster, spoke on The Louis Theroux Podcast. After asked if he would repeat his actions, he responded:

"Oh yeah. For instance what if I was to perform at Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I'm not regretful of it. I'd say it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays."

He added that the backlash the duo encountered was "small compared to what people in Palestine are going through."

Regarding the Protest's Significance

"I don't want to exaggerate the significance of the slogan," he elaborated. "That's not what I'm attempting to do, but if I have the Palestinian people's support, these are the individuals that I'm doing it for, they're the individuals that I'm speaking up for, then what is there to regret? Oh, because I've upset some rightwing official or some conservative media?"

Surprising Response and Broadcaster Feedback

The musician said he was taken aback by the outcry sparked by the exclamation, and asserted that members of BBC staff at Glastonbury told him on the same day that the set was "fantastic."

Yet, the broadcaster's executive complaints unit subsequently determined that the network's airing of the performance violated content standards in regard to harm and hurt.

He told Theroux there was no sign of a dispute in the immediate aftermath: "It wasn't like we came off stage, and everyone was like [shocked]. It's just normal. We come off stage. It was normal. No one suspected anything. Nobody. Including staff at the broadcaster were like 'It was fantastic! We loved that!'"

Response to Damon Albarn

Vylan also hit back at Damon Albarn, who called the chant "one of the most spectacular misfires I've witnessed in my life" and described him as "goose-stepping in sport gear."

His comment was "letdown" and "lacked self-awareness," Vylan remarked.

"I just want to say that labeling it as a 'huge mistake' implies that somehow the views of the band or our stance on Palestinian liberation is unplanned," he explained.

"I strongly object with the phrase 'marching' being used because it's typically associated around the Nazis," he added. "That's it. And for him to use that wording, I think is disgusting. I think his answer was disgusting."

Intent Behind the Slogan

After questioned what he intended by the phrase "Death to the IDF," Vylan said the slogan itself was "insignificant."

"What is important is the conditions that persist to permit that protest to even occur on that stage. And I mean, the conditions that are present in the region. Where the local population are being killed at an disturbing rate. Who cares about the slogan?" he said.

"Death to the IDF rhymes," he noted: "'End, End the IDF does not rhyme, wouldn't have caught on, would it? … We are there to perform. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. 'The chant' rhymes. Perfect slogan."

Denial of Hate Speech Claims

The musician also denied claims from the CST, a monitoring and Jewish community safety group, that their performance led to a spike in anti-Jewish incidents reported two days.

"I believe I have created an hostile environment for the Jewish community. If there were many individuals of people going out and going like 'Bob Vylan made me do this'. I might go, oof, I've had a negative impact here," he commented.

Comparison with Other Artists

As he said he thought the band had been targeted more severely than others for voicing views about the situation, the host brought up the Ireland-based band another band, who have also faced criticism for their approach to pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"That's a notable point," he said, "since as with everything ethnicity becomes a part in that we are an more convenient target, seriously, than they are because we are already the enemy."